1. I was the first to write in my blog about rare earth, about how difficult it was to rid ourselves from activated rare earth when it was no longer needed.
2. Rare earth can be used for many things and in many ways. The rare
earth represented by tin tailing, mostly ilmenite, when activated can be
used in colour television. Today colour television uses plasma or LED.
3. This posed a problem of getting rid of the activated rare earth left
in Malaysia. Finally it was agreed between Mitsubishi Electric and
Malaysia that a site in Perak of almost a square kilometre be reserved
for burying under concrete the activated “amang”.
4.
Although visitors were banned and no human habitation was allowed at
the site, I am told that now there is no more danger of radiation and
human dwellings have been built there.
5. The Lynas project is not about activating the rare earth to make it
radioactive. It is about extraction of the element to be used in making
lithium ion batteries and magnets.
6. Lithium ion batteries are extensively used to power electronic products including mobile phones.
7. We carry in our pockets and use mobile phones all the time, putting
them against our ears to hear and speak over the air waves. Obviously
they are not harmful. This lithium ion battery does not emit harmful
radiation.
8. As I understand it, the Lynas plant in Pahang does not involve
activating any of the rare earth components to make them radioactive.
The process cannot be harmful. As for the waste, it does not give off
harmful radiation either. The waste is just ordinary earth which is
normally mixed with the small amounts of rare earth. The necessity to
export the waste does not arise.
9. Malaysia is endowed with significant quantities of rare earth. In its
natural state it is harmless. Tin tailings or “amang” is probably more
likely to give off radio waves than rare earth. The mining and
extraction of rare earth can bring much wealth to Malaysia. In fact
Malaysia should be producing lithium ion batteries for use in electric
and hybrid cars. Today these batteries are being produced in Germany and
Britain, using rare earth from China and elsewhere.
10. Lithium ion batteries will be much in demand in the future. They are usually rechargeable and can last for many years.
11. It would be a great loss to Malaysia if misguided people prevent us
from extracting and using the high clean electrical capacities of rare
earth. Just as the lithium ion batteries in the cellular phones is not
harmful even when we carry them everywhere in our pockets and put them
to our ears, the mining and extracting of rare earth from Malaysian
earth will not harm us in any way.
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